Shall we try making your first 'personal logo'?

Have you ever thought, “Let's try making my own logo!”?
I made my first one when I was in high school. ↑

Thank you for joining me again today.
I am Yuji Imai, an invention designer who creates new options!

This time, it's a story that might make you think,
“Shall I try making my first personal logo?”

If you put your own unique logo on your work or belongings,
doesn't it feel a bit special?

If you think so,
you should definitely be able to have fun making a logo too!

I made my first logo mark when I was in high school.
How did I go about making it in a fun way?
I believe you can create one too, of course.

I will share that method based on my own real-life experience.

When I was about 17 years old.
It was when I was studying abroad in New Zealand.

In New Zealand high schools, there is a high ratio of elective classes,
and I chose a design class called "Graphics"
for three years.

There,

there was a class that said,
“Let's design a logo mark!”

There, I learned that a good logo mark has features like:

1. It gathers focus at the center and draws attention.
2. It has an easy-to-remember shape.
3. It has meaning embedded in it.

Even though it was a school in New Zealand,

it left an impression on me that the teacher said,

“I think the mark of the Japanese car company 'Toyota' is the most wonderful.”

The reasons were:

・It is composed only of simple ellipses (2)・It draws attention to the center (1)
・The letters T, Y, O, and A from TOYOTA are incorporated (3)

By the way, Nissan's logo,
he also said, is a good logo because it gathers focus in the center.

I thought (I see, that makes sense),
but

when it came time to actually make my own mark,
I couldn't think of a good 'subject' at all!

Hmm.
Something that is like me...
Invention? If I say electricity, that's too cliché...

Then I remembered
the 'Biology' class I had the other day.

When I gave a presentation on 'Genetic Engineering'. That was very well received.

In the biology class,
“What kind of things might happen if genetic engineering advances in the future? Research it yourself and present your own opinion!”

That was the homework and presentation I was doing.
I thought that relying solely on theory would be a disadvantage in an English presentation.

On a large piece of paper,

I drew a picture of a "dog with goat horns"

⇒"Horned Dog" and gave a presentation that appealed to the visual sense, saying, "This could actually happen!"
I ended up getting a big laugh (or was it!?) from the class.

This feels a bit like an invention, I love animals,
and I have a story to tell about creating it here. Let's go with that!

So, this is what I made.
It's a Horned Dog.

It doesn't fit the criteria of a simple shape, but it draws attention and is memorable, right? So,

Even after class, I redrew it many times,

asked a stationery store in the town where I was studying abroad,
and even had a rubber stamp made (lol).

After that, I used it to stamp my work as a signature for a while,
but

When I returned to Japan before university entrance exams,
and started studying product design,

"cool things" I became more conscious of having to make, and I felt this logo was a bit childish,
felt embarrassed, and sealed it away...

But yesterday, I suddenly remembered it,

"Oh, I'll write about it on note and have you read it!"

I decided, and went looking for it.

Since I had it made into a rubber stamp,
I still have it on hand, so I stamped it and scanned it.

Even now, it's a little embarrassing, but
looking back on it, I think it's good in its own way.
I'm glad I created it.
Recently, I've been thinking,
"It's good if you make it fun! It's even better if others enjoy it!"

Conclusion: What if you were to make a logo for fun?

1: Try remembering important things you have experienced.

The ways of thinking you value, things you were praised for, and things that are fun.

2: Apply the logo criteria

1. Be conscious of a composition and design that draws attention to the center
(e.g., placing it inside a shape like a circle, keeping it super simple, using a distinctive shape, or even putting text in the center).

2. Incorporate meaning
(This can be an element from step 1 or even text).

3. Simplify elements into a memorable shape. (It is better if it is still somewhat recognizable even when printed in black and white and viewed from a distance).

3: Take the plunge and turn it into a stamp!

If you decide to make it into a stamp, there are constraints such as:
・Small size
・Single color
・Fine details will get crushed
so

you will inevitably find it easier to satisfy the logo elements mentioned in step 2, and because it costs money and leaves you with a physical object, you should be able to take it seriously!

That is the idea.
When you are making it. When it is finished. When you use it.
It is fun every time! ☆

This time, I talked about the fun of creating your own personal logo.

If you create your own personal logo after reading this article,
please let me know. I would be super happy to feature it.

⭐️⭐️Thank you for reading today as well!⭐️⭐️
⭐️I would be happy if you could give me a like or a comment if you found this good⭐️

P.S. 1: The logo stamp I introduced this time.
Actually,in my 'Biography of Yuji Imai' it is stamped on some of the works I introduce.
P.S. 2: In thisnext article, I drew a 2023 renewal version of the Square Dog ^^